The Screenwriter’s Journey: The 12-steps to Screenwriting Success

You want to become a screenwriter but don’t know what the first steps are. You’ve been writing for a couple of years, but haven’t had that breakthrough moment yet. You’ve sold your first script but are struggling to find repeat success.

These are all common issues that most writers face at different stages in their careers. But here’s the thing: we always tend to focus on these problems in isolation rather than as part of a bigger picture.

It’s like trying to write a scene without knowing the plot…

We need to shift our mindset from the immediate and center ourselves on the long term.

Skill, creativity, routine, and habit can only get you so far: What you need is structure.

Using the famed Hero’s Journey concept as inspiration, we have built a simple, easy-to-follow model that takes into account the full career of a screenwriter. Broken into three phases and 12 steps, this model provides a tangible path that charts what you should expect along the way and highlights what stage you might be at.

And today, we’re going to walk you through this new model, detailing each of the steps along the way. So, fellow writers, please let me introduce you to….
The Screenwriter’s Journey:

Just like in the Hero’s Journey, our screenwriting adventure starts in the ordinary world. Or, as the name suggests, Life before writing. Every story has a starting point - including yours.

Now, there may have been a simmering ambition or interest in pursuing the art of writing. But at this moment, the adventure hasn’t begun.

That is until The Call to Adventure or The Calling in our sense. This is the moment when the writer has the inspiration to tell a story. It could be a specific idea or just a feeling inside and a pull to start brainstorming some concepts.

And this can also be followed by the refusal of the call or The Resistance. Was there a moment where you almost didn’t pursue it? Something internal or external that compelled you to not pursue this idea or this career?

Many times, our ambition is present but dormant… until we meet someone who helps activate it. At this stage, you Meet Your Mentor.

Inspiration and isolation are very rare bedfellows. There is usually someone who provides a little bit of encouragement, support, or even that final push. It could be a friend, colleague, family member, or an actual writer who you admire.

This is an incredibly important step and an incredibly important figure in your life. So be sure to not lose contact with them on your path.

We have arrived at the final step in the first phase, Your First Story. This is an exciting but also kind of scary moment. We tend to overthink so much here. But the main thing… The most important thing is to start and finish your story. Don’t get bogged down in details or rewrite the early parts. The only way the rest of your journey continues is if you can finish the first draft of your story - Here and now. 

Now, we move into the next phase of the journey, which we call The Opportunity.

By this point, you should have the first draft of your story. It’s not perfect, but guess what, it never will be, so don’t worry about that. The important thing is that you have proven to yourself (and to others around you) that you can indeed reach the finish line.

And that is critical for this stage: Challenges & Community.

Being a screenwriter is about more than the words on the page.

This is a relationship-based industry… And a competitive one as well. There will be adversaries, gatekeepers, charlatans, grifters and slimeballs.

But there will also be some of the most creative, inspiring people you will ever meet. And this is the stage where you start to encounter all of them.

Fun and frustration collide. 

But we can’t make it easy for you, right? That just wouldn’t be interesting. Hardship is the fuel of progress.

Next up in the Hero’s Journey is the Approach to the Innermost Cave - But for the screenwriter’s journey, it is Sharpening Your Craft. You have no laurels to rest on yet. So continue to write, learn, connect.

This stage is all about the continuous journey of improvement, the enhancement of certain skills and techniques (not just ‘how to write’), and the development of a sustainable career game plan.

Simply put: Get better, aim to add value, and soon enough, you will reach the next stage: Preparation Meets Opportunity.

This is where the hard work begins to pay off…. Maybe not financially (yet!)

But you start to receive positive feedback on your work. Or you start to make some strong connections that could lead to promise down the road.

There’s no timeline here.

It is different for everybody. But if you stay focused, alert, and true to your own voice, you will find the Breakthrough.

After all that work, you finally score a victory. This could be selling your work or using a spec script as leverage to land a paying job. But you did it! You have found your first tangible success in this zany industry.

It took a lot to get here, but here’s the thing: You’re only just getting started. That leads up to step 10: Navigating initial success.

There is a shelf life for your initial success. And many writers find it difficult to repeat or expand their first moment of success. That is why, for this stage, it is important to step back, look at the bigger picture of your career, and be strategic in your planning.

Now, it’s time to take this hobby…. This vocation… This Dream and turn it into The Career - Which is the name of the third phase.

And first up in The Career phase is Finding Your Rhythm.

If you knock on the table once, what is that? A beat.

It made a noise, but in isolation, it doesn’t amount to anything.

If you knock twice, you now have two beats - This could be a coincidence.

Once you have three beats, you now have a pattern. And Rhythm is all about the pattern of regularly recurring beats.

It’s the rule of three. And this is a good way of approaching this point in your journey Can you take this once-off moment and repeat it again and again?

If you can, then you will reach the final stage: The Professional.

Congratulations, you have successfully navigated through the 12 stages of the Screenwriter’s Journey.

This doesn’t mean that it’s over. In fact, there is plenty left to do. 

You will continue to encounter challenges and build upon your community. However, just like with the Hero’s Journey, a transformation has occurred. Through your obstacles and opportunities, you have sharpened your craft, navigated rough waters, and found your rhythm as a professional writer.

A master of both worlds, who can return home - Changed but not complete.

And there it is: The Screenwriter’s Journey.

What do you think? Just like Story Structure Models, it can be pretty helpful to have a framework for where your story is going. Hopefully the Screenwriter’s Journey will provide you with some guidance and encouragement when you need it the most.

Which phase are you currently in? What stage would you like more help, guidance or assistance in?

Let us know in the comments of our YouTube Chop above. Thank you so much for reading.